Unhallowed (Rath and Rune #1) - Jordan L. Hawk Page 0,73

to go into the house…but Noct was in there, and Ves had to talk to him.

Though the exterior of the house had been left alone, Fagerlie had renovated at least some of the interior to make his stay more pleasant. Thick rugs covered the old wooden floors, and the furniture all appeared new.

“Drink?” Fagerlie asked, going to a sideboard in the small parlor.

“I just want to see my brother.”

“One moment, first.” Amber liquid splashed into a cut crystal glass. “What do you know about the Book of Breath?”

“The library’s previous binder was looking for it, before he disappeared.” Ves paused—he didn’t think Fagerlie was implicated, but… “Did you have something to do with that?”

“No.” Fagerlie’s pale blue eyes met his. “I told you, it was a stroke of luck, that you could take over as the Binder.”

“You say it like a title.”

“It is.” Fagerlie went to one of the chairs near the sole open window and sat down, then gestured for Ves to join him. “Please. Make yourself comfortable. Let us discuss this like civilized people.”

Ves hesitated. But when Fagerlie arched a gray brow, he crossed the room and sat. “Talk. Tell me why I should trust you.”

“Have you ever heard of the School of Night?”

Ves strained his memory. It sounded familiar…

Right. Shakespeare. Love’s Labours Lost. He’d bought a second-hand copy of the collected plays, and he and Noct had amused themselves by acting out the parts on long evenings. “Black is the badge of hell / The hue of dungeons and the school of night,” Ves quoted.

“Exactly.” Fagerlie crossed his legs at the knee, as though preparing to deliver a long lecture. “The School was founded during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but on the ruins of an even older organization dedicated to the scholarly pursuit of the magical arts. The Wizard Earl, Henry Percy, was a member, as were Sir Walter Raleigh, George Chapman, and others. Christopher Marlowe as well, before he was murdered by a rival cult.”

He shook his head sadly, as though mourning a recent loss. “Of course, the School has changed over the years, but its purpose holds. To collect and study magical artifacts in a systematic fashion. To create a science out of sorcery, one might say.”

“And you’re a member of this organization.”

“It is my great honor to hold the title of Professor within the School, yes.” Fagerlie smoothed the leg of his expensive trousers. “We wish to study the Books of the Bound. To discover their secrets and add them to our hidden library.”

Ves had heard similar lofty statements from his mother and grandfather over the years. He knew a thin veneer of rationalization draped over the naked desire for power when he heard it. “So why recruit me to help you? Surely you could have found someone else to make your map.”

“To have two of the Dark Young as allies is no small matter,” Fagerlie protested. “Few of your half-siblings ever venture into cities. Sorcerers have combed the wilds for years seeking them out, only to wind up strangled by one of the Young they mistook for a strange tree, or a rabbit, or one of another thousand forms. But more importantly, you have the training to be a Binder. And yes, I speak that as a title again. Or did you imagine binding books made from the skin, blood, and flesh of necromancers was an ordinary task?”

Ves gripped the armrests of his chair. “And when were you going to tell me about this?”

“Once I had the map.” Fagerlie smiled faintly. “You didn’t expect me to just put all of my cards on the table at once, did you?”

It was like growing up in the cult all over again. Everything was whispers and secrets and hoarded knowledge, and Ves’s job was to do, not to know. “What is it you want me to do, exactly?”

“Get me my map. As the comet’s tail draws nearer, we’ll go to the museum library, which should be empty so late at night. Then, once we have the book in hand, you will Bind it to me.” He ran a hand over his short silver hair. “I had thread woven from my hair. Emeline—the Hollowell sibling bound into the Book of Breath—will likely try to prevent you from binding her.” He smiled. “And that is why you’re so special, Ves. As you’re resistant to sorcery, she’ll have little ability to harm you, unlike a human Binder. And then, when her power is mine, I will use it